Valbyparken, Copenhagen. Last day of July, 2016. Last date of the Grøn Koncert tour. Last band of the day.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I proudly present to you – D! A! DEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

“Boys and girls, listen up! We had a really bad idea, and we’re going through with it! Tonight, you may feast your ears upon Riskin’ It motherfucking All!”
- Jesper Binzer (vocals/guitar)

Last night had been No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims, and a bed. This night, we had Riskin It All, and a sofa!
Yes, luck was with us, and D-A-D had decided it would be fun to play another album than the one they had played the day before in Næstved, and since we were invited to both shows, this was perfect for us, as we now got to see both special sets.
Fair enough, this resembled the once-in-a-lifetime show we saw in Herning last year, but who’s keeping track? Riskin’ It All is still one of my favourite albums by the band, and it’s riddled with hit songs, and other favourites, and let’s be honest here, the setup with the oversized living-room is pretty darn awesome! The huge sofa, on which the drums are located, the huge record player to one side, an antique radio on the other, the large pillow in the front, which acted as stairs much as the bedpan had done the day before, and the yellow wallpaper looking back- and side-drops. So cool, and such instant atmosphere.
Much like the amps the day before, the record player and the radio were rigged to blast fire from time to time, something the band used sparsely, but effectively in order to underscore certain lines or melodies.
And then, there was of course Jacob Binzer, the man whom I sometimes accuse of seeming a little bit too introvert, at least compared to his attention seeking compatriots in the band. Well, the man has listened, and has put himself in front, and above everyone else, literally! Once again, the first song of the evening saw him rise up from the middle of the crowd, and glide on wires towards the stage, sometimes looking like he was running, sometimes turning on his head to get closer to the audience, and all the time playing without fault or delay. Man, that’s impressive, and admirable! D-A-D reinvents itself often, and now it was time for Jacob Binzer to shine, something he truly did!

“We had to go to our rehearsal room, and practise up on songs we haven’t played for a hundred years! It was fun, and we found some new favourites!”
- Jesper Binzer (vocals/guitar)

Contrary to what they had done with No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims, D-A-D did not reverse the playlist on Riskin’ It All, but played it straight up as it was originally released. One reason for this, I suspect, is that No Fuel… has the fan favourite Sleeping My Day Away placed as the first song, whereas Riskin’ It All has its fan favourite, Laugh ‘N’ A ½, placed last, and you might as well save the best for last, right?
Still, I was quite surprised to hear the band suddenly break out I Won’t Cut My Hair in the middle of the set. As far as I knew, that song came from Draws A Circle, but on further investigation after returning home, it turned out that it had also been included on the German edition of Riskin’ It All, where it had been placed between Rock ‘N’ Rock Radar and Down That Dusty 3’rd World Road. Good thing they chose to play it too, if they hadn’t, they had not only missed out on a favourite fan sing-along song, but I had likely never known this small piece of trivia either.
D-A-D managed to play another focused and to the point concert, without too much frivolous side-stepping. There must be a little bit of it of course, and we didn’t go completely without solos, although they were again more like lengthened jam sessions than actual solos. In Makin’ Fun Of Money, Laust Sonne got to show of some skills, while Grow Or Pay put Jacob Binzer in the headlights.

“Valby! How many here doesn’t have control over their economy? (too many replies) It’s good to hear I’m not alone. But Laust here is rich – on talent!”
- Jesper Binzer (vocals/guitar)

As with all D-A-D shows, much of the headlight also turn to the audience. This was no different.
Already in the beginning, I could feel the masses press in on the stage – there were many more here today, than had been in Næstved the day before! Copenhagen was also louder, not just because of the increased number, but it seemed each individual was louder as well. Physically, it was still a crowd that didn’t move around very much, but there were a lot of arms raised, and a lot of applause between songs. There were the occasional one that climbed the shoulders of their significant other, disregarding what this did to the view of them standing behind, and actually getting pissed when asked to climb back down again, but hey, this was a show for regular people, so these things happen.
Overall, the atmosphere was really good though, and people sang together, smiled, and toasted their beers, the way it should be. There were even some songs where the crowd got to fly solo, and Jesper Binzer could relax his voice for a bit. Laugh ‘N’ A ½ was as good for this as always, no surprise why they ended with this instead of opening with it, and Sleeping My Day Away, which was the second of the encore songs, also saw a fair bit of crowd singing.

Before reaching the end, D-A-D dedicated Sleeping My Day Away to all the volunteers who make Grøn Koncert possible, saying that this was an instructions manual for how their Monday would look. It was now late Sunday evening, and there still lay quite a lot of dismantling and clean-up work ahead of them, so I’m sure he was right in saying that most of them would likely take a well-deserved nap the day after.
It’s After Dark was the last song played, during which Jacob Binzer took another turn over the audience before landing back on the stage, and marked the end of the show by sending his guitar to the heavens with a silent wave. The audience cheered on as the band left the stage, this had been another highly successful performance.

Copenhagen had delivered a slightly livelier audience, but D-A-D had delivered the same high-quality show in both places. This is exactly the type of show this band is made for. This, and quite a few others, come to think of it. Oh, let’s just admit it, D-A-D is a fun band to watch, and I love how they keep on surprising me with new more or less crazy ideas.
Grøn Koncert was over, as well as July and the evening, but D-A-D wasn’t done with their tour. About half a week of a break, then they were back out there on the road. Maybe, just maybe, there’ll be time to squeeze another show or so in this year. Can you imagine it? We can.

Setlist:

Bad Craziness
D*Law
Day Of Wrong Moves
Rock ‘N’ Rock Radar
I Won’t Cut My Hair
Down That Dusty 3’rd World Road
Makin’ Fun Of Money
Grow Or Pay
Smart Boy Can’t Tell Ya’
Riskin’ It All
Laugh ‘N’ A ½
Jihad
Sleeping My Day Away
It’s After Dark